Senior Member

I don’t think stores will warranty 3 month old drums. This defect was discovered way too late I think. This has caused me so much fuss that I’m just going to buy new hoops for it and be done. I’m really regretting not picking up the Yamaha Recording Custom aluminium instead.

Well-known member

I don’t think stores will warranty 3 month old drums. This defect was discovered way too late I think. This has caused me so much fuss that I’m just going to buy new hoops for it and be done. I’m really regretting not picking up the Yamaha Recording Custom aluminium instead.

"Uncle Larry"

Member

I have discovered the reason for the absolute ass sound. The fucking hoops were warped. Both of them. So, as a prize for spending 700 bucks on a snare plus a set of new heads, I have obtained 3 months of extreme frustration and 2 sets of warped heads plus a set of warped rims. Fuck me. At least the shell isn’t warped. The lugs have dented and scratched the bead after I tried going gasket-less so the only thing that isn’t damaged on this drum is the throw off. Really ironic.

I have to buy 2 new rims, new snare wires and a set of heads. I haven’t felt this shitty since I had an ear infection a few years back.

thanks Ludwig! Thanks to your top notch QC I have to buy almost every single component of the drum after already paying 700 bucks for a goddamn snare. This was definitely not worth the money and definitely one of my worst financial decisions I’ve made. Hats off to you Ludwig. I am never buying a snare from you again.

Well-known member

I have discovered the reason for the absolute ass sound. The fucking hoops were warped. Both of them. So, as a prize for spending 700 bucks on a snare plus a set of new heads, I have obtained 3 months of extreme frustration and 2 sets of warped heads plus a set of warped rims. Fuck me. At least the shell isn’t warped. The lugs have dented and scratched the bead after I tried going gasket-less so the only thing that isn’t damaged on this drum is the throw off. Really ironic.

I have to buy 2 new rims, new snare wires and a set of heads. I haven’t felt this shitty since I had an ear infection a few years back.

thanks Ludwig! Thanks to your top notch QC I have to buy almost every single component of the drum after already paying 700 bucks for a goddamn snare. This was definitely not worth the money and definitely one of my worst financial decisions I’ve made. Hats off to you Ludwig. I am never buying a snare from you again.

Member

I don’t think stores will warranty 3 month old drums. This defect was discovered way too late I think. This has caused me so much fuss that I’m just going to buy new hoops for it and be done. I’m really regretting not picking up the Yamaha Recording Custom aluminium instead.

In the EU (I live in Sweden), it would be covered by the standard consumer warranty for 2 years. I don't know where you live, but I guess it is not in the EU. I am sorry for your trouble with this drum.

Member

If you just bought a brand new car, and after a while it started to sound weird, would you pick your hammer, screwdriver and pliers to start dismantling the vehicle in order to solve the proplem? What would you think your car dealer would do if you brought the car in the next day?

I don't know where you're from, but I am pretty sure, in a country where you can walk into a local store to buy a supra, there is such a thing as consumer protection. But as usual, one has to assert his claims before applying further damage.

By the way, have you swapped the hoops yet? Many drums are equipped with slightly warped triple flanged hoops without causing any problems. A German drum manufacturer told me once, it won't make much of a difference as long as the hoops aren't crooked like a pig's tail. Almost no hoop would sit on a surface being perfectly plain. If it's too much, they just bend it back a tiny bit.

Senior Member

If you just bought a brand new car, and after a while it started to sound weird, would you pick your hammer, screwdriver and pliers to start dismantling the vehicle in order to solve the proplem? What would you think your car dealer would do if you brought the car in the next day?

I don't know where you're from, but I am pretty sure, in a country where you can walk into a local store to buy a supra, there is such a thing as consumer protection. But as usual, one has to assert his claims before applying further damage.

By the way, have you swapped the hoops yet? Many drums are equipped with slightly warped triple flanged hoops without causing any problems. A German drum manufacturer told me once, it won't make much of a difference as long as the hoops aren't crooked like a pig's tail. Almost no hoop would sit on a surface being perfectly plain. If it's too much, they just bend it back a tiny bit.

So if Ludwig made every drum with bent hoops and sold them, it would somehow be our fault since we found out? I wouldn’t call taking off the hoop comparable to taking a car apart since hoops are expendables and are required to be removed when changing heads. When you have a problem with your car you send it to the mechanic, well where are drum mechanics? If a snare drum doesn’t sound like it’s supposed to, you try to troubleshoot the problem on your own because a snare is a pretty simple instrument. It’s not like taking apart a saxophone.

Anyway I am really confused and disoriented on what I should do with this godforsaken drum so I’m just going to leave everything and come back later.

Member

Sorry, if my post was misleading, English is not my mother tongue. But you didn't get what I was saying. Of course cars and drums are totally different animals, but warranty is about the same in either case.

There was no need to take the whole drum apart without visiting the dealer. Didn't you tell us that removing the gaskets in particular led to scratches, whilst it is for sure completely uneffective to help solving your problem?

As I told you a month ago, a LM402 is an excellent, great sounding snare drum, that can be tuned easily to almost any taste. My LM402 is a 2015 model with gaskets, and it works flawless. Maybe your drum has issues mine doesn't have, but then we're talking about product defects. And what if not defects are warranties for?

Or the LM402 is just the wrong drum for your taste, but I assume you tested the drum before spending 700 bucks?

Anyway, instead of fiddling around you'd better gone to your dealer immediately. That's why I think it was in your hands to make it a way better experience right from the beginning.

Silver Member

Fritz, I am sorry to hear about this. It really seems like you tried everything to get this drum to sound how you want.
I can only imagine how frustrating it must have been.
I feel like we've all gone through this with you. You are not alone brother!
Let us know what you decide to do next...

Senior Member

Throughout the years I have played some supras that have been in really rough shape. I'm talking about abused school drums, rehearsal studio drums, neglected garage finds...excetera. No matter what the shape of the drum, it always sounds like a supraphinic. I find it hard to believe that slightly bent hoops are the problem here. It is more likely that you are not really a fan of the sonic characteristics of a supraphonic or were expecting something different sonically then what the drum delivers.
I'm not trying to criticize you, sometimes the idea of a particular drum is more appealing to us then the actual sound of the drum. I for one, am not a huge fan of Black Beauty snares. I know how great most people think they sound, and I even own a few of them (and use them from time to time when I feel the music calls for that particular sound) but to my ears they have a slightly boxy, uninspiring sound.

Silver Member

Should have gotten yourself a Premier 2000 or maybe a Pearl sensitone aluminum. Personally I believe both are superior to the Supra. 3,495,873 drummers bought Supra's simply because of hearing how widely used they were during the 60s/70s, and that most all recorded songs featured the Supra. Just because everyone else has a dog doesn't make them the best animal to have as a pet.
BTW, the only Ludwig snare I've played that really sounds good is a 1914 5x15 nickel on brass 6 lug Theatre model. I will NEVER part with it. It's that good.